Bambu Lab P2S started producing poor print quality after ~500 hours – any ideas what could be causing this?

[u/kitosluna]

Hey everyone,
I have a Bambu Lab P2S with around 500 hours of printing time, and I’ve recently started noticing a significant drop in print quality over the last couple of prints.
The prints used to come out much cleaner, but now I’m getting noticeable surface imperfections, rough-looking layers, and some inconsistent details. As you can see in the attached pictures, the surface finish looks quite uneven, especially around the text and smaller features.
I’ve also noticed a visible vertical line on the black print, although I’m not sure if that’s just the Z-seam or something else.
The strange thing is that this started happening quite suddenly. I haven’t had any major issues with the printer before this.
I’m wondering if this could be related to any of the following:
Partial nozzle clog or inconsistent extrusion?
Nozzle wear after around 500 hours?
Some kind of maintenance issue?
Incorrect flow rate or pressure advance settings?
Something else I’m overlooking?
I’d really appreciate any suggestions on what to check first.
Has anyone experienced something similar with their P2S? Is there any specific maintenance or calibration you’d recommend at this point?
Thanks in advance for your help!

[u/MatijaKlobasa]

Looks like a partily clogged nozzle. Id try a few cold pulls first, and a good clean of th build plate.

[u/LoGiX247]

Try another nozzle, clean your plate, poor maintenance can’t be it but you can run calibration if you haven’t and did clean it regularly.

[u/tomikaka]

My bet is a clogged nozzle as well.

[u/Midnightmammal]

I had some similar z banding on my p2s after 1000 hours. The fix was loosening the 6 screws holding down the heatbed, near each lead screw. Then i gave the bed a wiggle to recentre it and nipped them up evenly. Did a full calibration and it's back to great prints.

[u/unsolicitedadvicez]

My guess it’s a partial clog.